Cruz has released a string of longer digital ads over the past week during his bus tour across Texas. His last TV ad was released at the end of October. The spot, "Listens," has a narrator discussing some of the important issues to Texans such as a secure border and Washington leaving them alone.

O'Rourke on the attack

Amidst the barrage of attacks from Cruz, O'Rourke has worked to maintain a positive message during the campaign. But he was on offense Tuesday night during their second debate and kept up the messaging Wednesday with three new TV ads.

In all three, O'Rourke speaks directly into the camera and tells viewers where his opponent stands on immigration, health care and education. The Democrat says members of Congress are ready to work on the issue of immigration, except Cruz.

"He has vowed to deport every single Dreamer," O'Rourke says. "He is selling fear and paranoia instead of solutions."

The second ad focuses on health care, citing how Cruz has fought to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

"He shut down the government for 16 days because he thought too many many people had too much health care," O'Rourke says.

The third ad highlights Cruz's support of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy Devos, a proponent of using tax dollars to fund private-school vouchers, and stresses how Texas teachers are underpaid.

Cruz ad with Denton County sheriff

Cruz attacked O'Rourke during the first debate for calling police the “modern-day Jim Crow.” Now the senator is using that line again for his new TV ad.

The ad splices a clip from an O’Rourke town hall and relies on a Fox Interview with Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree.

“There has been a war on police officers for the last several years,” says Murphree during the clip. “[O’Rourke’s] rhetoric is divisive, it’s insulting and, most of all, it’s dangerous.”

The senator picked up on the line from an O’Rourke town hall at Prairie View A&M University when his opponent said racial profiling, discriminatory stop-and-frisk searches, racially motivated police shootings and discriminatory sentencing should be collectively considered the “new Jim Crow.”

As your U.S. Senator, I've been proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the men and women of law enforcement.

O'Rourke's latest

It was a wild week in Washington with another hearing and votes regarding Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The wild week carried over into the second Senate debate that was scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30 in Houston.

On Friday, the University of Houston announced the debate was off when it looked like Cruz would be in Washington for votes related to Kavanaugh. Once votes were delayed and Cruz could return to Texas, Cruz aides tried to bring the debate back. However, O'Rourke's team said the congressman was booked and couldn't make it.

Instead of debating on Sunday, O'Rourke took to Facebook Live to record a TV ad in real time to combat all the negative ads against him.

Cruz: $10 tax and ICE

After Cruz attacked his opponent over immigration, the national anthem protest and being "too reckless" for Texas, the Republican has found a new problem with O'Rourke.

The narrator in the spot says O'Rourke supported a $10 tax on every barrel produced in Texas and voted against fracking and natural gas exports.

Cruz has resorted to this point on the campaign trail to appeal to his supporters. O’Rourke has also been vocal on the campaign trail about environmental regulations needing to be in place while also supporting oil production in Texas.

In an editorial interview with the Midland Reporter-Telegram, O’Rourke considers the natural gas production in the Permian Basin to be crucial not only for the state but as a way to replace coal-fire plants in India and China.

“I’d much rather they burn natural gas from Texas that’s connected to jobs here,” O’Rourke said. “It’s connected to a much cleaner way to produce energy than coal. I think that’s a great job opportunity and an environmentally responsible opportunity.”

In Cruz's new TV ad, a narrator throws shade at O'Rourke for saying that "crossing the border illegally should not be a crime" and he would be "open to abolishing ICE." The narrator, in the second half of the ad, points to Cruz's record of introducing Katie's law to increase penalties for those who illegally renter the United Stated after being removed.

Cruz previously went after O'Rourke over this claim in another attack ad in August. PolitiFact recently looked into the Republican’s statement and found it to be mostly true.

In June, O'Rourke said he would be willing to abolish ICE. However, he is not willing to abolish the agency until its enforcement duties were assigned elsewhere.

Our newest TV ad highlights my opponent's and my record on immigration. I introduced Kate's Law and have fought to stop illegal immigration. My opponent? He wants to decriminalize unauthorized border crossings. #TXSen

O'Rourke: First Spanish-TV ad

In an effort to appeal to Hispanic voters, O’Rourke released his first Spanish-TV language ad. While clips from various O’Rourke events play in the 30 second ad, he tells viewers in Spanish that he visited all 254 counties in Texas because “I want to represent every person in our state.”

The ad will begin airing in El Paso, Corpus Christi, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Harlingen and Laredo on Wednesday.

O’Rourke won the March Democratic primary but struggled to gain majority support in more than half of the state’s 32 counties along the border, the El Paso Times reported. The congressman frequently speaks Spanish on the campaign trail. In May, O'Rourke proposed six debates with Cruz - two of them in Spanish.

Cruz: Young voters

After a string of attack ads from Cruz, he comes out with a more upbeat and personal ad.

The senator hardly speaks in the nearly three-minute digital spot. Instead, he attempts to counter the momentum Beto O'Rourke has among young voters by having young people from various Cruz events talk about what they like about the Republican.

"I support Ted Cruz because of where he stands in protecting the liberties that Texans hold dear," says an 18-year-old supporter in the video. "Senator Cruz stands for what is right."

"I support @tedcruz because of where he stands on protecting the liberties Texans hold dear."

Cruz and super PACs

Cruz continues to attack O'Rourke for his stance on the NFL national anthem controversy. After the senator released a digital ad last month that served as an emotional appeal to patriotism, his team crafted a shortened version with sharper wording to run on TV.

The ad features former Marine Sgt. Tim Lee, who served in Vietnam, speaking at a Cruz campaign event: "I gave two legs for this country. I'm not able to stand, but I sure expect you to stand for me when the national anthem is being played."

Then comes the tag line: "In November, where will you stand?"

NEW 📺 AD: @marinetimlee gave two legs fighting for this country. He's unable to stand for the national anthem. Will you stand for him? 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 #IStand#TXSen

After a pro-Cruz super PAC released an ad last week accusing O'Rourke of using his El Paso City Council seat to facilitate redevelopment that would have entailed bulldozing homes, and benefited his father in law, Cruz takes his own shot at his opponent over this.

The campaign's 11th ad attacks the congressman by using footage from council meetings in 2007 and 2008 of citizens frustrated by what was happening.

"We feel betrayed and we feel sad. Especially with Beto," said one citizen in the video.

The two-minute ad ends with on screen text saying, "If Beto O'Rourke's own El Paso constituents couldn't trust him then, why would the rest of Texas trust him now?"

New Cruz Web Ad Highlights O’Rourke’s Support of Eminent Domain to Enrich His Family and Displace Low-Income El Pasoans --> https://t.co/fBXbQL9VHa#TXSen

The congressman joked about the attacks at a fundraiser in Washington, calling them the “politics of fear.” Earlier in the day, O'Rourke broke away from the various versions of his original spot titled "Showing Up" and released his third TV ad.

Instead of attacking Cruz, the Democrat remains positive and focuses on the question he expects his three kids will ask in the future.

"When everything that mattered to us was on the line, where were you?'" O'Rourke says.

Club for Growth Action unleashed an ad denouncing "Beto the bully," accusing him of using his El Paso City Council seat to facilitate redevelopment that would have entailed bulldozing homes, and benefited his father-in-law.

The group initially put $200,000 into the spot, starting in San Antonio and adding Dallas and Houston as part of its "seven figure" assault to depict O'Rourke as "crooked."

Texans Are, a pro-Cruz group run by a former Cruz strategist, also hit O'Rourke. Its first ad, first reported by the Texas Tribune, calls him "reckless" on immigration and asserts that he's been "rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants" and "giving free reign to Mexican drug cartels."

On Labor Day, which O'Rourke spent campaigning in El Paso with the AFL-CIO, Cruz released his 10th ad. The online ad shows O'Rourke dropping F-bombs at campaign events around Texas, playing off his campaign theme, "Showing up" -- a poke at Cruz for jumping into the presidential race in near record time after joining the Senate. Cruz's version: "Showing the $@%* up."

"If Beto shows up in your town, maybe keep the kids at home," the narrator says.

On Aug. 28, Cruz released his ninth ad of the general election season, attacking O’Rourke for voting against tax relief for Harvey victims. The online ad — titled “Completely Ridiculous” — amplifies a line of attack the senator was already using on the stump.

O’Rourke has defended his vote, saying he opposed that bill because he wanted it to also address the looming expiration of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. He backed three other Harvey relief bills that became law, which Cruz’s attack glosses over. Cruz has been attacked for opposing federal aid when Hurricane Sandy walloped the Northeast six years ago.

When disaster struck just over a year ago, I helped lead the fight to bring home billons in disaster relief and pass bipartisan emergency tax relief for those hit by Hurricane Harvey.
Congressman Beto O’Rourke? So irresponsible that he even voted against Hurricane Harvey tax relief.

Cruz: NFL national anthem controversy

O’Rourke went viral in a video saying he couldn’t think of anything more American than to “peacefully stand up or take a knee” in protest during the national anthem. On Monday, Aug. 27, Cruz accused him of being out of touch with Texas values and released a digital ad blasting him.

The ad features Tim Lee, a Texas Vietnam veteran, in an emotional appeal to patriotism.

“I gave two legs for this country. I’m unable to stand,” he says. “But I sure expect you to stand for me when that national anthem is being played.”

Cruz: Touting Harvey relief

On Aug. 3, Cruz released three attack ads and a fourth focused on the senator’s work in Texas after Hurricane Harvey.

“No official — state or federal — has been more involved in the recovery of Galveston County than Sen. Ted Cruz,” Galveston County Judge Mark Henry says in the Harvey spot.

Cruz: Drug policy

In one Aug. 3 attack ad, Cruz touts a bill he supported to expand the drug-testing of applicants for unemployment benefits that President Donald Trump signed into law in March 2017. The ad contrasts that with a remark O’Rourke made in 2009 as an El Paso City Council member calling for a national discussion about legalizing narcotics. According to The Texas Tribune, the ad ran only in Lubbock.

Cruz: Accusation of extremism

A second attack ad Cruz released Aug. 3 goes after O’Rourke for being “more extreme than he wants you to know.” It asserts that O'Rourke wants to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (he did say at one point that he’s open to shifting ICE responsibilities to another agency), impeach Trump (true) and legalize all narcotics (also stemming from the 2009 City Council remarks, and not true).

Cruz: Conservative issues

A 3-minute online ad from April 23 shows Cruz stumping on issues he deems most important to Texas voters — lower taxes; immigration and sanctuary cities; defending the Constitution; and protecting Second Amendment rights.

“There is only one Texas,” Cruz says. “I am honored and privileged to stand shoulder to shoulder with you preserving the freedom that makes Texas extraordinary.”

Cruz: Resilience and common ground after Harvey

On April 3, nearly eight months after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston and the Gulf Coast, Cruz released a 2-minute digital ad focusing on Texans' coming together in a time of need.

“We’ve got a lot more that brings us together than divides us,” Cruz says.

It’s an uplifting spot with stirring music and clips of Cruz celebrating heroism and neighbors helping neighbors. Cruz grew up in Houston and still lives there, and he was a visible presence for months after the storm. Painting Cruz as a compassionate state leader, the ad intends to take the edge off perceptions that he’s a partisan bomb-thrower.

O’Rourke: 'Showing up' as jab at Cruz

O’Rourke released his first ad of the general election season on July 26. The spot captures the excitement of the campaign trail and celebrates his unusual feat of stumping in all 254 Texas counties, some of which have more livestock than people.

The spot is titled “Showing up” — a theme that does double duty for O’Rourke as he casts himself as an accessible future senator and paints Cruz as an ambitious politician who had hardly settled in the Senate when he began running for president.

Cruz visited all 99 counties in Iowa during the 2016 presidential campaign, O’Rourke often reminds voters.

The Democrat’s campaign this month released TV ads it said will run in all 20 Texas media markets. The spots are largely the same as the earlier online version. Both use Facebook Live footage from the congressman’s travels across the state. The latest was released on Wednesday, Aug. 29.

“We have to do this with real people ... just human beings, real people making this happen,” O’Rourke said.

Just launched our first ad. Entitled "Showing Up," it's filmed using an iPhone and was created entirely with live stream footage from our travels to all 254 counties of Texas. Watch and RT to share. pic.twitter.com/INmmjlXX4Y

Cruz: Mocking 'Beto'

Cruz fired the first shot of the general election with a statewide radio ad on March 6, the night of the Texas primaries.

The jingle depicts O’Rourke as a gun-grabbing liberal and suggests that he took the nickname “Beto” to hide his Anglo roots and appeal to Hispanic voters. The senator, born Rafael Edward Cruz, has gone by “Ted” since he was a teenager. The challenger, born Robert Francis O’Rourke, has gone by “Beto” since he was a small boy growing up in El Paso. He quickly tweeted a photo of himself in a “Beto” sweater to prove it.